I recently took a three-week workshop series on partner acrobatics. It probably goes without saying that this was incredibly fun for me! Something that really surprised me about this workshop series is that I thought I learned something different than what my teacher saw in me. From my perspective, I learned about just how severe my imbalances are! I have so much organic energy and so little muscular! I am all about expanding out and need to work extremely hard to hug my muscles back in. This means a lot more core-building work in my home practice.

I also learned a lot about my own body and how I move. I've been practicing yoga for nearly ten years now and most of the time, I feel pretty confident about how to move and where my body is in space. Well that all changed when I was suspended in the air. I had no idea where my legs were and how to get them to go where they were supposed to. More than once I had to practice what I had to do on the ground before doing it lifted in the air. This made me instantly more sympathetic to my own students! I had forgotten what it was like to teach my body to do something so completely out of the ordinary. I realize how much I ask of my students. I am very proud of them for their great achievements and I'm also now reminded to be patient as it takes time for them to figure things out and for all these new movements to work their way into muscle memory. What surprised me the most in the workshop was that my teacher could see over only three weeks the improvements I made in understanding my body in space, and as I worked out this understanding, I became more confident in the various stunts that we learned. As a student, it's so wonderful to have progress acknowledged!

This is one of the many benefits of studying with others, even in a different discipline, that we can learn even more than we think we learn because we have our teachers' insight to shine back at us!

Friday night, I went to another AcroYoga workshop with Jean-Jacques at the Baltimore Yoga Village. I am officially hooked on this practice. At my first AcroYoga workshop, I was made aware of some weaknesses in my practice that I have revisited over the last few months, and I felt much more comfortable in the workshop this time.

It was made even more magical by getting to fly with my troupemate, Nora! We dance together every week, and it was really exciting and fun to fly together! I completely trusted her to hold me up in the air, and it felt so nice to be able to give back that yummy flying feeling when I flew her next.

I can't wait to see where this practice will take me!

Sometimes I am amazed by how everything in my life is so connected. Unintentionally (or maybe subconsciously?) I've spun a web wherein all my passions are intertwined, and I can float along on all of this creative goodness no matter what I'm doing.

Friday night I went to an AcroYoga workshop. It was seriously the most fun I've had in an asana practice, maybe ever. I could not stop smiling the entire time I was there! So fun!

Acroyoga blends the practice of yoga with acrobatics (obviously) as well as Thai massage. For the workshop, we did a brief warm up both individually and then working with partners, then we jumped right in to working on inversions with a partner. Working with a spotter on my inversions was really helpful to me for identifying some alignment issues I need to work out. After the inversions, we went flying! The basic flying practice consists of a "base" a flyer, and a spotter. The base lays on his/her back with legs and hands up. For the sequence we did, the "flyer" has his/her hips on the base's feet to move through postures. To close the practice, we did some very basic Thai massage on each other. Yummy!

The reason the flying part of Acroyoga "works" is bone-stacking. This is something that works for an individual asana practice, too! When our skeleton is stacked in alignment, the bones are doing the work of supporting our weight, and the muscles are just assisting in stability. With a bone-stacked foundation, I can lift and hold a person bigger than me with virtually no additional effort. It's yoga magic!

The real magic of Acroyoga is not just the yoga stunts, it's the connection with your fellow practitioners. It's fun to smile and share energy with a yoga friend, building trust in addition to the physical and spiritual connection. This is lila in action!

The full practice of acroyoga, includes improvisation with your partner, and in the case of this beautiful video of the founders, partnered, non-verbal improv to live music. Is it any wonder I'm in love?